Airship.



A. DE BAJZA.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2, 1910.

Patented N 0v. 14, 1911;

5SHEETS-SHEET l,

WITNESSE8 INVENTOR A. DE BAIZA.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1910.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IMVENTOR WITNESSES A. DE BAJZA. AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1910.

1,009,010; Patented N0v.14, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

' INVENTOR A. DE BAJZA.

AIRSHiP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2, 1910.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

5SHEETSSHEET 5.

INVENTOR WITNESSES PATENT oFoE."

- ALADAB DE BAJ'ZA, Oll LONDON, ENGLAND.

AIRSHIP.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALADAR on BAJZA, a subject of the King of Hungary, residing at 20 Hans road, London, England, gentleman, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is' to produce an air ship for military purposes which can be maneuvered to meet every possible contingency which may occur in actual warfare. 4

The invention is particularly applicable to air ships of the kind which are usually slightly heavier than air but which may, under some conditions, become lighter. Such ships according to the present inventionare propelled and elevated or maintained at any definitealtitude and kept in any definite course by means of fore and aft propellers which are mounted so that they can be turnedpositively in azimuth through any;necessary angle in relation to the airship and also tilted vertically.

Usually two prppellers would be used, one at each end of? a car frame which extends from end to end of the gasenvelop and is supported therefrom in a semi-rigid manner. Each engine and its associated propeller are mounted .on a platform which can be turned in azimuth, and further, each ropellereither. with or independently 0 its associated engine is arranged so that it can 'be tilted in a vertical plane. By suitably setting the platforms and tilting the pro-' pellers, any desired movement ofelevation either vertically or slantwise, or of depression, or of translation of the air ship may be effected. v

The invention 'thus involves, besides the particular mountingoftwo independent sets of engines and propellers,,a seml-rigid con-' struction of air ship having a platform or frame extending the full length of the gas envelop, so that the engines may be mounted at the ends of the platform preferably at a place-where the propellers may be elevated to such a height that the front propeller will create a partial vacuum in front of the gas bag and thereby reduce the resistance to the Specification oi? Letters Patent. Application med August 2, 910. Sena 1N0. 575,064; s

Patented Nov. 14, 101i.

movement of the latter and thus increase the velocity of the-ship for a given expenditure car at any serious distance below the gas' envelop.

In the preferred construction of semirigid air ship to which the invention is more particularly applicable, the car frame consists of two parallel girders extending from end to end of the gas envelop and supported b bands or ropes therefrom, the upper mem ers 'ofthe frame being laced or otherwise secured close under the gas envelop.

In order to guard against disturbing the equipoise of the air ship by reason of unequal consumption of fuel by the engines (gin the case in which the propellers are rivenby liquid fuel internal combustion engines), both sets, of engines are supplied with fuel from a common central fuel tank, or two or .more central tanks which communicate with each other,-such tank or tanks being preferably provided with bafiles, so as.

tude, for which purpose two pairs of such. wings or planes are provided, one pair in front of and the other pair in rear of the center of mass of the air ship, these wings being hinged to the frame and being provided with means for raising and depressing them, 'either independently or simultaneously. I I g The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and a plan view showin one way of mounting the engines and'prope lers; Figs. 3 and tare reand driving the propellers, and a plan view of the same, but with the gas envelop removed; Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a side and a front elevation of the preferred construction of semi-rigid balloon to which type of air ship the present invention is more particularly designed to be applied, although it may also be applied to air ships of the rigid type. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a transverse section and a plan view of the car showing means for moving it translationally along the frame.

In the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2 the engine a, shaft band propeller c are mounted on trunnions d on a platform e which is rotatable on the track f by means of. a circular rack g and pinion g, the latter operated by a hand wheed 9 The platform 6 is confined by a flange or guide f which, as shown may be integral with the track f and which engages over the upper side of the edge of the platform 0. The movement of the propeller 0 in a vertical plane is effected by meahs of a rack 71. secured to the engine frame and pinion h, the latter being operated by a handwheel h It will be seen that with this construction not only are the engine and propeller orientated simultaneously, but they are also tilted simultaneouslyand that there is a direct drive be-" tween the engine and the propeller.

In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the propeller shaft 12 is driven from the engine through suitable gear such as chain 6 and there is interposed between the chain drive and the propeller a universal joint I) which enables the propeller to be tilted in a vertical plane with respect to the driving mechanism. While therefore, as in the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2, the propeller and engine are orlentated simultaneously so as not to disturb the balance of the airship, the propeller is tilted in a vertical plane without any corresponding movement of the engine. The elevating gear is represented by screwed shaft 2', handwheel i and slide 71 but obviously any other suitable mechanism may be used for this purpose.

Provision is made for freein the platform 6 from the gear by which 1t is turned so that, for example, if one or both propellers have been turned in azimuth so as to change the course of the air ship, the propeller or propellers and the air ship may e allowed, by release of the setting gear, to swing into alinement with each other on the new course. For example, in the construction of Figs. 3 and 4 the pinion g gearing with the circular rack 9 may be mounted on its shaft so that it can be shifted out of gear as by means of the pedal lever 9 The frame on which the engines are I i l I i l i mounted consists of two girder structures 7', is suitably braced and stayed which extend from end to end of the gas bag and which are supported therefrom by bands or ropes Z attached to the envelop, such supporting members being spaced at sufliciently frequent positely disposed pairs of which one or more pairs are in front of the center of mass of the air ship and the other pair or pairs in rear thereof. These wings are provided with means (not shown in the drawing) for turning them about a longitudinal axis so that they can be made vertical or as nearly vertical as possible, or their inclination otherwise varied.

In the modified construction of semi-rigid balloons shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the upper members of the girder frame are laced directly to the gas envelop along the central part in the known manner and upon the ends of the main frame in the spaces between the top of the frame and the under-surface of the gas envelop are fixed auxiliary frames or stagings 11. upon which the ends of the envelop rest and to which they are laced. Covering one or both ends of the gas envelop is a shoe or cap 0 such as has already been proposed to provide support for girder frames and consisting preferably of aluminium plate, or other suitable light but rigid material, which shoe is' rigidly secured to the auxiliary staging n and also to the gas envelop. As in this construction the central parts of the gas envelop rest directly upon the car frame, the elevating or supporting wings or planes, instead of being hinged to the upper members of the frame,

would be hinged to brackets extending up-- wardly from the frame around the lower surface of the gas envelop to a suflicient height to allow the wings to be raised more or less into vertical planes.

The car p is preferably mounted so that it can be shifted longitudinally along the frame j, is through a sufiicient distance as to enable the ship to be kept on an even keel, or to be tilted longitudinally in one direction or the other to an appreciable extent. With this object the car is provided with wheels 9 running upon longitudinal tracks 1" carried by the main frame on which also is supported a longitudinal rack s. The car is fitted with a pinion t which cooperates with the rack s and which by means of bevel gear u and handwheel u can be rotated so as to traverse the car longitudinally in either direction.

gas envelop of means for maneuvering. the,

Instead of single propellers at each end, each engine may be arranged'to drive a pair of two-bladed propellers which may be of'smaller diameter. The shafts of these propellers'are preferably set at a distance apart just somewhat greater than the length of a propeller blade, and in order that the propellers may rotate without interference, they are displaced 90 in phase and rotated in opposite directions the blades of the propellers being appropriately set.

Having thus particularly described the nature of my said invention and the best means of carrying the same into practical effect I claim 1. In an air-ship, the combination witha gas envelop of means for maneuvering the ship consisting of sets of associated engines and-propellers mounted at the fore and aft ends of the ship, every set being independent of the others, and devices whereby any 'one of the engines and the propeller associated with it may be vertically tilted si- -multaneously as well as orientated simulta-, without'altering the alinement of neously their shafts.

2. In an'air-ship,.the combination with a gas envelop of means for maneuvering the ship consisting of sets of associated engines and propellers .mounted at the fore and aft ends of the ship, every set being independent of the others, and devices whereby any one of the engines and the propellers associated with it may be vertically tilted simultaneously as well as orientated simultaneously without altering the alinement of their shafts. 3. In an air-ship, the combination with a ship consisting of sets of associated en ines and propellers mounted at the fore an aft ends of the ship, every set being independent of the others, and deviceswhereby any one of the engines and the propeller associated with it may be vertically tilted simultaneously as well as orientated simultaneously without altering .the' alinement of their shafts, each of said devices comprising a rotatable platform, bearings carried by the platform and adapted to pivotally support an engine and its associated propeller, operable means for rotating the platform and swinging the engine and propeller in the bearings, and means for releasing the platform from the operable means so as to allow the propeller and 'air ship to swing into alinement with each other. V

4. In an air-ship, the combination with a gas envelop of means for maneuvering the ship consisting of sets of associated engines and propellers mounted at thefore and aft ends of the ship, every set being independent of the others, and devices whereby any one of the engines and the propellers associated with it may be vertically tilted simultaneand aft ends 0 the ship, every set being independent of the others, and devices whereby any one of the engines andthe propellers associated with it may be vertically tilted simultaneously as well as orientated simultaneously without altering the alinement of their shafts, each of said devices comprising a rotatable platform, bearings carried by the platform: and adapted to pivotally support an engine and its associated propellers, operable means for rotating the platform and swinging the engine and propellers in the bearings, and means for releasing the platform from the operable means so as to allow the propellers and air ship'to swing into alinement with each other.

6. In .an air-ship, the combination with a gas envelop of means for maneuvering the ship consisting of sets of liquid fuel internal combustion engines and propellers associated therewith, said sets of engines and propellers being mounted at the fore and aft ends of the ship and independent of one another, a liquid fuel tank common to all the engines and in controlled communication therewith, and devices whereby any .one of the engines and the propeller associated with it may be vertically tilted simultaneously as well as orientated simultaneously without altering the alinement of their shafts.

7-. In an air-ship, the combination with a gas envelop of means for maneuvering the ship consisting of sets of liquid fuel internal combustion engines and propellers associated therewith, said sets of engines and propellers being mounted at the fore and aftends of the ship and independent of one another, a plurallt of liquid fuel tanks 'communicatmg wit each other and with of the frame, every set being independent of name to this specification in the presence of the others and devices whereby any one of two subscribing Witnesses.

the en ines and the propeller associated With i it may be vertically tilted simultaneously as ALADAR DE BAJZA' 5 Well as orientated simultaneously Without al- ,VVitnesses:

tering the alinementof their shafts. EDWARD GARDNER,

In testimony whereof I have signed my WVALTER J. SKERTEN. 

